Danny Mumaugh Asserting Himself As Seattle’s Leading Goalie

(1090 The Fan) — After starting the season alternating goalies, it appears as if Danny Mumaugh has claimed the No. 1 role for Seattle. Mumaugh’s grasp on the role may prove to be tenuous, but for now the 17-year-old netminder is enjoying the chance to prove himself.

“You just have got to keep it simple,” Mumaugh said. “That’s the biggest thing as a goalie. A lot of it’s mental you try to break it down as simple as you can. One save at a time, one period at a time just keep going, you can’t look at the big picture. ”

Mumaugh finished with 47 saves on 50 shots against Kelowna, Tuesday, but endured the shoot-out loss to drop his record to 6-4-1-3. Mumaugh has played in 15 games thus far for the T-Birds and has posted a .916 save percentage and 3.14 goals-against-average (GAA). Conversely, the T-Birds other goalie Justin Myles has a .890 save percentage and 3.86 GAA in 12 games.

As Seattle slogged its way to six consecutive losses, head coach Steve Konowalchuk talked to his two goaltenders and told them they both had the opportunity to take the job. Mumaugh seems to have done that.

“At the moment,” Konowalchuk confirmed of Mumaugh’s status as the starter after Tuesday night’s loss. “We have two good goalies. I think right now we are just kind of riding the hot hand.

“We were going through a little funk there and at the time before we got the win I talked to both of them, I said, ‘whichever goalie can play solid and kind of get the ball rolling will get a chance to go here’ and he had the first crack at it and he’s taken it. He’s played well and he’s played confident.”

With two big games coming up this weekend, it would be a surprise if Mumaugh isn’t guarding the net.

T-Birds Release Forward Erik Benoit

Seattle continued to tinker with its roster last week, releasing 20-year-old center Erik Benoit prior to Tuesday’s game against the Portland Winterhawks. Benoit had played in 19 games this season for the Thunderbirds, providing three goals and five assists.

Benoit was acquired on waivers from the Saskatoon Blades on September 18th. The move leaves the T-Birds with two 20-year-old players, one below the league maximum of three.